PowerPoint Presentation

Disaster management in tourismTou2001 week 19

TopicsUnderstanding the nature of tourism crises and disasters Tourism crisis and disaster planning and responseRisk managementLonger term recovery Knowledge management strategies

To the casual observer exposed to the plethora of media that currently inform our daily lives, it appears that we live in an increasingly disaster prone world

Faulkner W. (2001: p.135) Towards a Framework for Tourism Disaster Management

Key literature Tourism destinations and businesses are becoming increasingly prone to the impacts of crises and disasters due to global environmental change and security risks. Ritchie - 2009 Tourism destinations in every corner of the globe face the virtual certainty of experiencing a disaster of one form or another at some point in their history. Despite this, few destinations have properly developed disaster management plans in place to help them cope with such eventualities.Faulkner 2001Creating a link between tourism and disaster risk reduction and management is particularly important in places that rely heavily on tourism and, at the same time, are prone to natural hazards.Becken & Hughey - 2013

Key literature Tourism contributes to the economic development of many countries. Valuable source of income, foreign exchange and employment - predicted to become the world's most significant industry Glaesser, 2006A volatile and fragile industry that can be greatly influenced by natural, economic, safety and health issuesMonterrubio, 2010Key element of success or failure is a tourism destination's ability to provide a safe, predictable and secure environment for its visitors.Volo, 2007Safety and security can be compromised in the form of crises and disasters which can arrive without warning and often cause immense tangible and intangible damage to tourism destinations Xu and Grunewald, 2009Media attention heightens the risk perception of potential tourists, who often decide not to visit the affected destination as a result of their feelings of insecuritySantana, 2003

Vulnerability of tourism Decline in arrivals following disastersPolitical situationsNatural disasters EpidemicsLong term tangible and intangible damage

The majority of tourism businesses do not actively incorporate disaster management strategies into their businesses

Beirman, 2003; Faulkner and Vikulov, 2001; Glaesser, 2006; Hystad and Keller, 2008: 160

Questions ???Do one-size-fits-all academic models really enable a tourism destination to plan for unforeseen eventualities and to deal with such situations effectively when they occur? If tourism businesses could be convinced to embrace disaster management strategies, would they mitigate the tangible and intangible damage inflicted by such events? Does detailed risk analyses take into account the circumstances unique to each crisis or disaster, such as cultural differences or levels of government and individual resources?

Two forms of crisis natural and man-made.

Natural SARS, Bird Flu, Tsunami, Foot & Mouth, Earthquake, Flooding, Fire etc.Man-made Terrorism, War, Demonstrations, Transport Accidents etc.

Some impactsSARS Widespread social disruption and economic losses. Schools, hospitals, and borders were closed Thousands of people were placed in quarantine. International travel to affected areas fell sharply by 50--70%. Hotel occupancy dropped by more than 60%. Businesses, particularly in tourism-related areas, failedAsian TsunamiHotel industry fully unprepared to protect tourists Failure in hotel/resort managementabundant criticism.

Terrorist attacks - New York, Bali, London9-11 changed America fundamentallyundermines civil society, jeopardizes peace and security,threatens economic and social development,UK Foot and Mouth outbreaksix million animals destroyed 2007economic costs environmental impacts Hurricane Katrina, 200530,000 tourists were trapped in downtown New Orleans hotels with no powerTourist forced to wander for shelter, loot and commit other criminal acts in order to survive.

Media images flood the world within hours sometimes in real-time The link between terrorism and tourism shows that targeting tourists clearly helps terrorists in achieving their objectives by disrupting the industry and assuring publicity Ryan (1993), Sonmez (1998), Sonmez et al. (1999), Pizam and Mansfeld (1996) and Pizam and Smith (2001),

Bali 2002 200 people dead

Bombed again in 2005 20 people dead

Holiday Snaps - Bali

Before

After

Tsunami 2004 - More than 225,000 people killed in 11 countries many in tourism areas.

Emotive ImageBurning carcassesFoot and Mouth serious outbreak in 2001 closed down much of the countryside. More outbreaks in 2007 8 cases reported = it hasnt gone away.

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Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS)In early 2003, a worldwide outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) swept the globe with remarkable speed and complexity. The World Health Organization reports that more than 8,000 people became ill and more than 750 people died from SARS between November 2002 and July 2003. There is no known SARS transmission anywhere in the world at this time

Bird flu

LondonMadridCity Bombings

Floods UK 2007Tewkesbury in 2007 Gloucestershire tourism badly affected. More flooding 2013 & 2014 just weeks before a key holiday booking periodUK flood clean-up costs could hit 1bn

Japanese March 11s tri-fold earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster

DiscussionA crisis is a matter of judgement, not a matter of fact (McConnell 2003)To what extent do the images you have just seen influence your judgement?If an image speaks a thousand words, just how big is the message being delivered to tourists?

Safety and security is high on the tourist agenda. The type of crises weve just seen are a fact of the modern world they can occur again tomorrow.How can we address the fears of tourists?How can we build confidence?How can we attract tourists back after a crisis?

In the very short term some of the tourists who had intended to visit destinations affected by a crisis may put off their plans until those destinations are again in a position to provide the same facilities as before. In the meantime they will compensate by looking for destinations with similar attributes.

There is often a feeling of solidarity among the tourists that are most familiar with these countries and aware of the quality of the tourism products they offer. They know that their presence there once circumstances permit will be a way of expressing solidarity with the local victims.This was very evident in New York throughout 2002 This inclination to return is heavily influenced by the degree of safety or positivity perceived by the potential visitor.How can we influenced that perception?

Man made DisastersSeptember 11, 2001 - Catastrophe Airliner crashes into World Trade Center Towers in New York CityAirliner crashes into the Pentagon building near the heart of the city

The Day of the Fireman

World Trade CentreThey didnt need to be told what to do. As a cop I am proud to acknowledge the acts of heroism displayed by so many NYPD and Port Authority police officers that day.

Impact on visitors to the Washington, DC area and its tourism industriesHotel visitors dropped 400,000 September - NovemberDowntown hotel room revenue fell 65% for these 3 monthsNearest major airport closed for 3 weeks Major attractions closed for up to 5 monthsTourism job losses reached 27,000

31Phases of a Disaster

Pre-disasterThreat WarningImpactHoneymoonDisillusionmentRecoveryReconstructionTime

Assessment of needThe Goal is to understand -How disaster populations differ from one anotherThe key variables affecting survival and welfareHow relief organizations can be most effectiveHow disaster management could be improved

Design a SystemWhich cannot be easily skewed by the perspectives of one individual or a political partyA process that is inherently more stable and reliableIs ground-truth based and implies a consultative processEngaging a wide variety of individuals from a variety of professional and personal vantage points

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Large Group TraumaCommunities are confronted with the enormous consequencesLives lostNumbers injuredSocietal insecurity and disruptionDestruction of InstitutionsEconomic burdenPsychological problems long termBut . Disaster affected communities are rarely homogeneous

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Helplessness And The Perception Of WeaknessA crisis could be an opportunity for genuine help or can lead to harmSpectacle of helplessness may evoke strong emotionsEvoke everything from compassion to cruel exploitation - best and worst of human emotions and behavior Profiting from the suffering of others is not unknownHelplessness creates a need/fear dilemma - succumb to need satisfaction at the cost of fearing (hostile) dependency and controlHow About Us SyndromeHAUS is aroused in the needy whenever the needs of others are fulfilledCommunities with a self-help orientation recover much faster than those demanding external assistance while delaying to re-build on their own

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Helplessness - The Perception Of Weakness People in crisis are highly malleable and easily influenced In the desperate search for safety and security the distressed are liable to accept almost anything that is offered to themAfter cataclysmic events like the Tsunami of December 2004 governments seemed willing to do whatever it takes to get aid, even if it meant: Making alliances with former enemiesRacking up a huge debtsAgreeing to sweeping policy reformsIn crisis people tend to look to their leaders for guidance in much the same way that children turn to their parents when they are distressed >> transference

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The Disaster Of Poverty Poverty fuels conflictWhen states are poor they cannot fully control their territory or ResourcesLack capable police and border control agenciesLack well functioning judiciary or militaryOfficials are especially vulnerable to corruptionTendency to apply draconian measuresAlso, weak in other respectsUnable to meet their citizens basic needs, food, education and health careOften are prey for extremist religious groups and charitiesDeadly disease and the burden of mental distress falls heavily on low or middle income countries

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Aid Assistance: Managing the flood?In the wake of a disaster the channels through which aid assistance both in material and services is received, are difficult to regulate, supervise or monitor.Everybody asks for coordination but many refuse to be coordinatedNumber of NGOs multiplies whenever a disaster strikes BANDA ACEH Indonesia - 250 after the tsunami. SRI LANKA over 1000. Add-ons not been estimated? Massive NGO influx, Experts arrive, some invited, many come anyway . UN system, (WHO, UNHCR, UNICEF, WFP, etc.)Intnl Professional Groups /Medical Associations, World Bank, Expatriate organizations, University departments, Faith-based organizations, International rapid response teams, foreign military emergency relief operations, Red Cross and Red Crescent teams from different nations.

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Aid Assistance: Managing the floodLocally hired relief personnel may not assert themselves even when policies of the foreign organization are clearly lacking in cultural sensitivity. Biting the hand that funds you could cost the loss of your jobThe HAUS syndrome may create resentment and divisions within nations and communities. Phuket got more publicity that Banda Aceh.Inequity in aid distribution is a common feature (and complaint) in aid assistance that became the focus of internal tensions as evidenced in Sri Lanka over establishing a Joint Mechanism for tsunami relief efforts.

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Aid Assistance: Managing the floodSpontaneous Volunteers - Highly trained individuals can present a major logistical problemDisaster Tourists?Expatriate Donors may have differing motivations?Security issues: Various nefarious activities may be channeled through seemingly innocent humanitarian programs, creating in addition, a serious security (terrorism, arms smuggling) riskWestern NGOs and culture competence?Local institutions tend to lose their cohesion?Credibility of mercy missions and aid donors could be compromised in an environment of suspicion or when the significance of offerings is not understoodA military presence coordinated with established law enforcement agencies contributes to better emergency services

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Cultural DimensionsThe centrality of beliefs in most cultures influences seeking help , finding social support, understanding adversity. This commonly takes place in the context of the religious community But, Religion can be used to divide people as it could to unite themReligious and cultural beliefs become challenged in the face of unexplained crisis. Following an initial phase of anger, disillusionment, and loss of faith, to stories of miracles to the faithful help to re-affirm their beliefsCultural Factors?The Singhalese, Tamil and Muslim communities along the tsunami damaged east coast of Sri Lanka showed significant differences in response to the tsunami and the relief efforts

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Measuring Trauma ?The overall goal of all disaster health service workers is to first provide emergency services Then to reduce the number of people who could develop psychological disorders.The psychological impact of any disaster must be measured from different angles across several disciplines (psychology, psychiatry, sociology, culture, history and anthropology etc.)Anxiety and depression are the commonest manifestations of disaster stress.Trauma and PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

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Grief Is The Inevitable Outcome Of LossDeath Toll is the first index of a disasters damage and how they are generally reported Grief is the single most common consequence of disasters, whether it is from loss of lives or of the non-human environment. The loss of one life can have far reaching repercussions on the lives and futures of several families. Novel rituals have to be invented to deal with new problems - funerals for victims whose bodies cannot be identified or are missing.Grieving (as an internal process) can be delayed or complicated by many external factors.

Crisis Management StrategiesCrisis management is the process by which an organisation deals with major, extraordinary, sudden and unforeseen events that can pose a grave threat to their existence. E.g. Natural disastersTechnology failuresMalevolence.ConfrontationSkewed management valuesDeception

Crisis Management StrategiesThe six main stages in strategic crisis management are1. Pre-event stage: Prevention and contingency measures are put into place.2. Pretrial stage: At this stage the impending crisis is inevitable.3. Emergency stage: The crisis has arrived and main objective is damage limitation, immediate rescue and clear communications.4. Short term stage: Restoration of basic functions, utilities and essential services to return to normality.5. Long term (recovery) stage: Continuation of restoration with attention to non-priority actions. Lessons learned incorporated into revised prevention and contingency strategies.6. Resolution Stage: Routine strategic management replaces crisis management.